Ian Turnbull

COUNTRY Canada
GROUP University of Western Ontario / London Symphony Orchestra (London, Canada)

Biography

Ian Turnbull joined the British Army band at age fifteen, serving in Europe, the Far East and the Caribbean before moving to Canada, where he attained the rank of Principal Percussionist with the Band of H.M. Canadian Guards and the Band of the Royal Canadian Regiment. He would go on to found the Percussion Department at the Faculty of Music, The University of Western Ontario, be Principal Percussionist with the London Symphony Orchestra (London, Canada), become a member of the PAS Board of Directors and founding President of the Ontario Chapter of the PAS. Named to the Mayor of London's New Year's Honors List for promoting music, Ian was also the inaugural recipient of the PAS "Outstanding Chapter President Award". Upon retirement, his employer Belle Air Music established the annual "Ian Turnbull Award" for percussionists at The University of Western Ontario. Instrumental in creating the SABIAN/PASIC Scholarship, which assists young Canadian student percussionists, Ian Turnbull is also the first non-American to receive the prestigious, PAS Outstanding Service Award.